This invention relates to gaskets for sealing the joint between the cylinder block and the cylinder head of internal combustion engines and particularly to gaskets for this purpose which have to seal loose liners in the cylinder blocks of high compression diesel engines.
Problems which arise with known gaskets used for the purpose are fourfold, namely
1. They require to be subjected to a very high clamping load in order to ensure a satisfactory gas-tight seal.
2. Their inability to resist such loading;
3. Difficulty due to the variations in height which occur between the top of the liner and the cylinder block platform; and
4. The difficulty of loading the gasket accurately during assembly, especially with `Vee` and horizontal cylinder axis engines.
With the general object of solving these problems there is proposed in accordance with the invention a cylinder head gasket of annular shape and varying thickness corrugated radial cross-section with an annular skirt depending from its outside periphery.
The invention accordingly also consists in a gasket as aforesaid in combination with a cylinder head and cylinder block assembly including a cylinder liner having an end recess which accommodates the corrugated radial cross-section part of the gasket and a radially outward open recess which accommodates the gasket skirt.
Preferably the locating skirt of the gasket is constituted by a ring made for instance of stainless steel fixed to the outer periphery of the gasket, and the varying thickness corrugated part has three maximum thickness portions with plane faces and inter-face angles of about 120.degree..